Man-Killer
Amazon (comics) redirects here; for the Amazons of DC Comics, see Amazons (comics). The Man-Killer (real name Katrina Luisa Van Horn) is a fictional supervillain in Marvel Comics' universe. Publication history Man-Killer first appeared in Marvel Team-Up volume 1 #8 (April 1973) by Gerry Conway and Jim Mooney. The character subsequently appeared in Daredevil vol. 1 #121 (May 1975), 123 (July 1975), Iron Man vol. 1 #126-127 (September-October 1979), and Marvel Team-Up vol. 1 #107 (July 1981), where she seemingly died. The character appeared several years later in Web of Spider-Man Annual #3 (1987), and made several appearances in Thunderbolts vol. 1, including issues #3 (June 1997), #18-20 (August-November 1998), 23-25 (February-April 1999), 27 (June 1999), 30 (September 1999), 34-35 (January-February 2000), 39-42 (June-September 2000), and in Deadline #2 (July 2002). After joining the Thunderbolts, and taking the name Amazon, she appeared in Thunderbolts vol. 1 #64-65 (July-August 2002), 67 (September 2002), 69 (October 2002), 71 (November 2002) Marvel Universe: The End #5-6 (July-August 2003), Thunderbolts vol. 1 #73-75 (December 2002-February 2003), 80-81 (August-September 2003), New Thunderbolts #18 (April 2006), and Thunderbolts vol. 2 #100 (May 2006). Man-Killer received an entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z 2006 #7. Fictional character biography Katrina Luisa Van Horn was an Olympic skier and is a militant feminist. After engaging in an argument with anti-Women's Liberation skier Karl Lubbings, the two took their disagreement to the slopes. Katrina was an Olympic-level skier, but Lubbings cut her off and both skiers plunged off the mountain. Katrina was severely injured and disfigured. She was fitted with a powered exoskeleton, and took the name Man-Killer (she no longer wears the exoskeleton so it is probable her strength has been enhanced somehow). She has worked freelance and as an agent for Hydra. She has been a member of the Masters of Evil under the Crimson Cowl. As Amazon, she was briefly a member of the Thunderbolts under Hawkeye. She had fought Spider-Man on some occasions. Feelings regarding men During an altercation with the Thunderbolts, Katrina told Songbird that she'd rather not fight her, as she had no problems with women, just with men. (Songbird attacked her anyway.) Some time later, however, Erik Josten—Atlas of the Thunderbolts—discovered Katrina working as a bartender in his team's adopted home of Burton Canyon, Colorado. When Josten became a regular at the bar Katrina was congenial towards him, pretending not to recognize him as Atlas. Whatever animosity Katrina may or may not bear towards men, she has proven herself capable of working alongside them with a minimum of personality conflicts. Powers and abilities Robotic implants replacing and/or compounded with bones and nerves, which give her superhuman powers, good athletic abilities, and the ability to throw knives at a range of hundreds of meters. Notes * While initially not confirmed, it was strongly implied for years that Katrina was a lesbian. One example of this occurs in Thunderbolts v.1 #71 when she, Cyclone and Harrier decide to abandon Songbird and Plantman to be captured by agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Hawkeye and Gypsy Moth capture the trio and attempt to coerce them into going back for Songbird and Plantman, before a S.H.I.E.L.D. search party catches up with them and forces them to fight for their freedom. While Cyclone and Harrier remain tied up, Katrina is freed and subdues a S.H.I.E.L.D. operative who is about to drag them away to be incarcerated. Cyclone asks that she untie them so they can escape, referring to her as "Man-Killer." She makes no move to help them escape and says that she'd rather be called "Amazon", her heroic, Thunderbolts name. Cyclone realizes that she now intends to join Hawkeye and Gypsy Moth in acting noble and laments "One more goes to the other side..." Katrina, apparently misunderstanding, responds "I was born on that side, Frenchie." Her sexuality was eventually confirmed in her profile in the All-New Offifial Handbook to the Marvel Universe #7. * Other less obvious clues to her lesbianism include: ** A panel in Thunderbolts #42 that shows her wearing pins that say Indigo Girls,Lilith Fair & Xena. ** That same issue she mocks the notion of being romantically involved with Erik Josten. * Katrina once used the alias Wilma when she was working as a bartender. Presumably this was an homage to the famous feminist Wilma Mankiller. References *SpiderFan *Leader's Lair *Man-Killer at the Marvel Universe Appendix Category:Fictional bartenders Category:Fictional criminals Category:Fictional Germans Category:Fictional skiers Category:German supervillains Category:LGBT supervillains Category:Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Category:Marvel Comics mutates Category:Marvel Comics supervillains fr:Man-Killer